Conclusion: Collaboration and Governance: It’s Very Much About ‘Process’ and ‘People’!

Abstract

This final chapter draws together the key findings from the previous chapters and summarises the core themes covered in this Palgrave Pivot volume on Collaboration and Governance in the Emergency Services: Issues, Opportunities and Challenges. Issues around improving and maintaining ‘trust’ and finding a more suitable and distributed leadership style pose a significant challenge for the emergency services. Similarly, the rise in mental health, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases in emergency workers has serious implications for organisational productivity and resilience. With the recruitment of a younger and diverse workforce, some of the traditional and somewhat negative connotations of organisational and occupational cultures are also changing. Therefore, we conclude that both ‘process’ and ‘people’ are central to any reform, and the success of the collaboration and governance agenda will inevitably depend on how the collaboration process is led and managed, taking into account the interests of people who would make the partnerships work. Implications for future research are also highlighted.